CT conversion design ideas

[sheila]

I'm playing with designs for cargo trailer conversions. Here's my first:

Here are the requirements I had in mind for this design:
* 6' x 12' trailer--I used the inside dimensions for a Wells Cargo.
* Hubby is 5'10" and I'm 5'5". He may not be able to stretch out completely, but he's a side sleeper anyway.
* Outside galley (accessed via the back doors), with a pass-through behind the dinette that is covered with sliding plexiglass windows. I would attach an awning on the back to shade the galley and protect it from rain.
* Space for two kids, but we usually camp when they are with our exes.
* I didn't put windows in the model--I would want them on both sides of the dinette. Maybe even two small windows on each side, to make it feel more open.

I think we would leave the table down and bed made up most of the time. We camp to spend time outdoors, and don't want to be cooped up in a camper unless it's raining and cold. I put the cupboards over the fixed bunk high enough that it doubles as a seat, and the porta potti will fit in a cupboard under the bunk.

I'm working on another design that doesn't include bunks, so the kids have to sleep in a tent (although I'm not sure if I want to deal with that--my SD would probably have a meltdown).

Any suggestions? What did I forget?

[devigata]

Looks great to me - much more than we wanted.

Are you planning barn doors or a ramp door at the galley?

[Steve_Cox]

Sheila,

Design looks great!

The only suggestion I might offer would be to actually have your husband try sleeping with part of the bed blocked off somehow to see if he can sleep comfortably without being able to stretch out. We had one teardrop builder that had shortened the bed a little only to find out he and his wife couldn't sleep in a 66" long space. They only camped once, she went home at 2 AM and he left the next morning after a poor nights sleep.

[bobhenry]

Looks great to me - much more than we wanted.

Are you planning barn doors or a ramp door at the galley?

BARN DOORS ! I got barn doors

[EffieRover]

At one point I had drawn something similar to that ... on paper so I have no idea where it is. What I had different (ideas for you):

- the fold-down bunk. I had that just as you do, but then the bed extended all the way to the back of the trailer with a wall/window built just inside the trailer doors. This made it a full-sized bed for the kids which could fold out of the way for daytime. I figured I couldn't reach the top of the trailer from outside, anyway, so the outdoor kitchen was below that. Where yours is.

- the front I had as storage cabinets, with an outside-accessible one at the bottom.

Nice design; will enjoy seeing it come to fruition

[sheila]

Yep, barn doors on the back.

Looking at the inside widths on the Wells Cargo site again, I'll probably have to go with the 7' wide if I want the beds sideways. That would make the inside 80.5" and a queen bed is 80" long. I'll stick something 12" wide against the footboard of the bed and see what he thinks, though.

Ohhhh, good idea EffieRover! I made their bunks 24" wide because I figured they currently sleep on 20" camp mattresses, so 24" should be wide enough.

Just thought of something: I assumed I would lose 1/2" on the inside dimensions by putting up 1/4" plywood (or maybe beadboard for looks) on the walls with insulation behind it. I will probably just paint the plywood. Is that accurate?

[angib]

Looks good - try to keep the windows away from where the bunk folds down. It would be lovely to let the bunkee look out the windows while still in bed but then you run into problems that the bunk support conflicts with the window, plus even the depth of window fittings and/or curtains may get in the way of the bunk folding.

Andrew

[sheila]

Ok, here's a revision using a 7x12 trailer. Not sure if I want to go that wide, but I think I have to if I want the bed sideways in the trailer.



The windows are 16" wide and 12" tall. I'm just guessing at the size and spacing. I would try to center them over the seats as much as possible. I'm also guessing that the door would be 30" wide.

Both bunks are 24" wide, which may or may not really be wide enough. My SD rolls off the bed frequently so she would get the lower bunk. My son is a teenager and bigger than me and I don't know if I want him rolling down on top of me in the middle of the night.

I'm thinking I should approach this with the idea that the kids sleep in the tent, since they only go with us a couple of times each summer. We already sleep in separate tents, so that isn't a big deal.

Maybe I should think about a longer trailer with a push-out? Does anyone have detailed pictures or instructions on how they are made?

BTW, the tow vehicle is wide open right now. Hubby will get a new car next year and he wants a Jeep. We'll buy whatever we need to pull the trailer we end up with.

[kevin57]

Hi Sheila
The inside of our cc is 69in. , I am 5'10" and I have no problem sleeping as I too sleep on my side.
I like your ideas and good luck on your build.

[digimark]

Neat setup. If I can offer a couple of thoughts --

1. The trailer manufacturers build these trailers with 16" apart wall studs - you might find that they won't be able to put three windows together like that. I would think they could put two in that space though.

2. Do you see yourselves sitting at that U-shaped table a lot, or staying inside the trailer a lot? Unless it's raining, I would imagine you'd want to eat/socialize outside more than inside. A much narrower table in between two padded benches would allow more room for people of different shapes to slide in/out, plus give yourselves the ability to stretch out while watching TV.

3. Where are the storage locations for the all the camping stuff, chairs, grills, umbrellas, clothes, towels, food, etc? If its too overbuilt, you might have problems loading it up with stuff. (Of course the galley might hold the food, cooler, etc.)

The 3D CAD drawings are neat ... if I may ask how did you put those together?

[sheila]

Thanks, digimark.

I may spend time in the trailer while hubby is fishing, at least when it's windy. Other than that, it's just for sleeping and getting out of the rain. I imagine that we'll leave the dinette converted into a bed most of the time and just pull out the table when it's needed.

I thought I would put curved cupboards along the top sides of the trailer, sort of like in an airplane. I have a woodworker friend who told me how I could build them and that it wouldn't be hard, just labor-intensive. I thought that would look nice. There's also a big cupboard above the bunk on the right, and I would put drawers underneath it.

I'm a tech writer for a CAD software company and that's what I'm using. The software is called SpaceClaim. It's been fun; I have learned a lot about what it's like to really use the software by doing this (as opposed to just using it to understand and document features).

[drcurran]

Sheila, a quick thought. Will your bed set up be such that one person will have to "climb over" the other to get in or out of the bed? I had this situation on a Class "C" MH and it was not a good situation. Just my .02

Dan

[sheila]

Yeah, the person in the upper bunk would have to climb. Looking at it again, I think I'll swap the upper storage and that bunk, so the storage is above the dinette/bed. The two bunks would probably be used twice a season because we usually camp without the kids.

I'm thinking about eliminating the bunks altogether, which makes me wonder why I would do a cargo conversion to sleep two instead of a "real" teardrop. I am toying with the idea of building a modified Campster12 instead, with a porta potti cabinet and storage instead of the bunks.

[digimark]

I thought your bunk bed setup is neat -- you can use them to store stuff when not used for your kids... I misunderstood the original picture -- thought there were two bunk beds, one over the other, in the front of the trailer plan. Seems pretty flexible.

[devigata]

In our 6' X 12' there isn't much room for "bunks" at the nose. These shelves go right to the opening of the door. Here's pics. If you like, I can measure them. Definitely not 24".